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Antonelli Leads as Azerbaijan Grand Prix Approaches

The 2026 Formula 1 season rolls into Baku for Round 15, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix set to test egos, brakes and front wings from 24-26 September. The man everyone is chasing arrives with a stranglehold on the championship: Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

Fresh from victory at the inaugural Madring Spanish Grand Prix, Antonelli has stretched his lead at the top of the standings to a commanding 81 points. He didn’t just win in Spain; he capitalised. When the race turned on strategy and traffic, he was the one in the right place, at the right time, in the right car.

Baku rewards exactly that.

Norris Stung by VSC, Verstappen Left to Watch

Madring had promised a different story. Lando Norris had produced a blistering qualifying lap to plant his McLaren on pole and looked set to dictate the tempo. Then came the virtual safety car.

The timing cut straight through McLaren’s race plan. Norris lost track position during the VSC period and never fully recovered the initiative, eventually salvaging third. It was damage limitation on a day that had started with genuine hope of a win.

Max Verstappen’s afternoon was shaped early. The Red Bull driver had to hand a position to Lewis Hamilton, a move that opened the door for Antonelli to control the race from the front. Verstappen still fought his way to second, but it felt like a race where the key move had gone against him long before the chequered flag.

Those fine margins matter even more in Baku, where one safety car – virtual or otherwise – can turn the entire weekend upside down.

Street Fight in Baku

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will run over 51 laps on Sunday, with lights out at 12:00 BST. The long flat-out blast past the pits, the tight castle section, the walls waiting to punish the slightest lapse – Baku is built for drama.

Antonelli arrives with the numbers on his side. Norris and Verstappen arrive with something else: frustration from Spain and a street circuit that often rewards aggression and nerve. One misjudged stop, one mistimed caution period, and that 81-point cushion can start to look a little less comfortable.

How to Follow the Weekend

All times BST.

  • Thursday, 24 September
    • First practice: 09:30-10:30 – BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and smart speakers
    • Second practice: 13:00-14:00 – BBC Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers
  • Friday, 25 September
    • Third practice: 09:30-10:30 – BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and smart speakers
    • Qualifying: 13:00-14:00 – BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and smart speakers
  • Saturday, 26 September
    • Race: 12:00 start, with build-up from 11:00 – BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and smart speakers

Commentary of Sunday’s race will run across BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Most smart speakers will tune in if you ask them to “play 5 Live”.

Every episode of the Chequered Flag podcast will track the twists of the title fight, with post-race shows for every grand prix available to watch on BBC iPlayer and YouTube.

Antonelli has the lead. Baku has the chaos. Which one wins out over 51 laps?

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Antonelli Leads as Azerbaijan Grand Prix Approaches